Mark had no idea just how much Thailand was going to change our little family's life. Previous to ever seriously considering going to ...

Our Family is our Home

Mark had no idea just how much Thailand was going to change our little family's life.

Previous to ever seriously considering going to Thailand, there had been a feeling festering inside me.    Resentment.  I wasn't living the life, that deep inside, I felt like I was designed to live.  So, I started searching for greater growth, development, and insight.  Mark was supportive on every level - he too recognized something missing in me that had once been there in the beginning.  I remembered from years ago, that while I was learning about Buddhism, something about it resonated with me that added another dimension and depth to my LDS faith.  So, I sought out Buddhism again to see if it could rekindle part of the flame of who I always viewed myself as but sadly could no longer find very many living traces of within myself.  I highly recommend learning about Buddhism (there are many types, but Zen Buddhism is a great place to start).

Right before going to Thailand, I also attended a mentoring course taught by Kirk Duncan that my mother had felt she should sign me up for.  Oh how grateful I am she heeded that prompting nearly one year earlier!  The course validated so many of my thoughts and ideas that had been flowing to me since I earnestly started seeking greater light and growth.  I was ecstatic to share everything I had learned with Mark and start implementing these life changing concepts.  The 26 hour travel time from Idaho to Bangkok provided lots of opportunity to share with Mark so much of what had inspired me at the Kirk Duncan course.

Thailand was extraordinarily wonderful, beautiful, and wholly refreshing.  It was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Waiting at the bus station in rural Thailand.


Secretly... or not so secretly, (since I'm about as transparent as a person comes), I held on to the resolution that Thailand would be the first of many decisions that led us to living a life entirely custom fit for our family - no more living on auto pilot and simply following the patterns that mainstream society dictated.

In the winter of 2014, during a 'heated discussion' when we were trying to resolve a reoccurring conflict, Mark said to me, "We know Heavenly Father brought us together for a reason.  If we want to find out that reason, we can't do it without living up to our potential."*  As unpleasant as that conversation was up until then, the matter we were discussing instantly melted away as our focus shifted.  The Lord spoke to my heart and told me what Mark said was true.

*(If you know our dating story, you know that it was God that continually brought our attention back to one another after we several times confounded the process (okay, that was mostly my fault). But God was good and helped me to see.

Thus keeping in mind that God brought us together for a very specific reason, we also realized in order to live that reason, we needed to honor our individual nature by listening to and acting upon the messages each of our hearts communicates.

And so it is, our life has speedily evolved to the present day.

Immediately following Girl's Camp, we said goodbye to our little cozy 1930's house, our ward family (I miss my YW already), and the land of my heritage.  We moved back to the Boise area where Mark has started his first contract as a travel physical therapist.  The typical contract is about 3 months long which will have us changing location just as often.  To help provide a sense of home for our children, which we think is important, we are going to have a local manufacturer, TinyIdahomes, build a 'tiny home' for us.

We are so excited to dive into this new adventure.  Surely, it will be challenging.  We welcome the challenges in all their glory, for in them, we will find growth.



Below are three quotes I think are fitting for our family.  I hope you find them inspiring too.

We never grow closer to God when we just live life.  It takes deliberate pursuit and attentiveness.
~ Francis Chan

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
~ Anaïs Nin

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
~ Steve Jobs




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2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey! I stumbled upon your blog post tonight. Thanks for sharing this! It was just the words and advice I needed tonight! I love the idea of your adventure in the tiny house! Best of luck!

Unknown said...

Hey! I stumbled upon your blog post tonight. Thanks for sharing this! It was just the words and advice I needed tonight! I love the idea of your adventure in the tiny house! Best of luck!

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